'It comes down to believing in yourself': Jack Bird out to silence doubters

It's impossible not to given how vocal they were when Shane Flanagan revealed in preseason that he planned on remaking the 29-year-old as an outside back eight years after they combined for a premiership at the Sharks.

Doing so at the expense of Zac Lomax, just as the speculation surrounding the now departing star's future hit overdrive, saw even more scrutiny fall on the coach's call.

Bird's fielded his fair share of questions on that saga, remarking that he knows a thing or two about shifting positions in the best interests of the team.

This season's the first in which he hasn't been asked to do so on a near weekly basis in several years. His nine games at right centre is his longest unbroken stint in the one position since his nine games in that spot with Brisbane in 2019.

That run ended in the first of two ACL tears in 10 months, setting in motion a well-known horror run of injuries that, in the eyes of many, put paid to his days as an elite centre.

He's heard it all but, at still just 29 years of age, he simply disagrees.

"It's something that I strive for because not many people believe in me," Bird said.

"When you're not getting believed in and you go do something people say you can't do, it's a confidence booster and I'm growing in confidence.

"Respectfully, not many people would still be running around if they'd had my injuries. I get sore from time to time, but considering all I've been through, my body is actually in pretty good shape.

"I've just got to be confident in myself and find the form that I had before all those injuries. It's not easy, it's hard to find again, but I'm 29 and I still feel like I'm 24-25.

"Obviously I'm getting older, but I'm enjoying being back out there [at centre]. I've got to work on a few things, I've got work on my speed a little bit more, but my body's feeling good.

"I need to find some consistency, but with confidence that will come. I just need to find that again."

Doubters aside, Flanagan's belief in the player he first signed as a teenager has been unwavering, saying as recently as last week that Bird's "best football is still in front of him."

That certainty has proven a Godsend, with the Berkeley Eagles product determined to justify the call.

"Not many people would put me back in the centres the way my body was last year," Bird said.

"Flanno's believed in me there, but I think it comes down to believing in yourself really. I've got to find the mentality and the confidence that I had as a teenager coming up through the ranks.

"Coming in and training each week not knowing where you're going to play, you've got to change the way you play and your role every time.

"When you're coming in each week knowing you're going to be at centre, you just stick to what you know and what you've got to work towards to get better.

"This year I've got the chance to do that. I've got to put my trust back in Flanno and show him that I'm capable of doing it. I just need to find the consistency and I'll repay the faith by playing good footy."

Bird's far from alone on that score, with consistency proving elusive for the Dragons through a 5-5 start to the season.

It's been less than convincing, but Bird says there's plenty of green shoots in matching last year's win tally within 10 rounds.

"Heading into a bye winning the amount of games we won all season last year is something we'll definitely take," he said.

"Going into the bye with two points is massive and our next block's an opportunity for us to take it a little bit further and get a few more wins under our belt.

"I think it's just about staying in the game. We've got a motto here 'play the game the right way' and we go away from that sometimes.

"There's some games there that we probably should have won, or could have won. A few times we've taken the lead and we just take a backward step and let the other team roll through us rather than taking a step forward and going through them.

"Just sticking to our game plan is something that we've been working really hard on. I think if we do that, we'll go a long way to playing finals."